China's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the United States for changing the wording on the State Department website about Taiwan, saying "political manipulation" will not succeed in changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
The State Department website's section on Taiwan has removed wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China.
The website was updated on May 5 by the State department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, with the previous version stating, “The United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship” and that the U.s government acknowledged “the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China,” and the U.S. “does not support Taiwan independence.”
However, in the new version, the understanding of China’s policy on Taiwan and the statement on not supporting Taiwanese independence has been removed. Instead, it now begins, “As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific.”
China's government considers the democratically ruled island to be inviolable Chinese territory.
(Staff and Reuters)
Taiwan Photo by Timo Volz on Unsplash
